Box Score
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Morgan Sabia became just the 23rd player in Hartford history to reach 1,000 career points, but the Hartford men's basketball team fell to Vermont on Wednesday night, 74-56. Sabia led the Hawks with 17 points, adding nine rebounds. Joe Zeglinski added 12 points, and Milton Burton scored 11 as Hartford fell for a third straight game.
For his efforts, Sabia was named the Nestle PurinaONE America East Player of the Game. Marqus Blakely scored 16 points and pulled down a game-best 18 rebounds to garner the recognition for the Catamounts.
Hartford (7-19, 5-8) started slow against Vermont (20-8, 11-3), which moved into a virtual tie with Stony Brook for first place with the victory. The Hawks fell behind by as many as 19 in the first half, and never held a lead in the contest.
With both Anthony Minor and Joel Barkers facing foul trouble for Hartford inside, the Hawks had trouble scoring in the paint early on. Andres Torres, who was 2-for-2 from three-point range in the period, led the way with six points at halftime. He finished the game with three assists, which led the Hawks.
Coming out of halftime, Hartford looked more focused on the defensive end. The Hawks actually outrebounded Vermont 14-11 after intermission, holding two-time America East Player of the Year Blakely to just four points and three boards.
Milton Burton and Morgan Sabia provided the offensive spark the Hawks needed after halftime. Burton, who started at the point guard spot for an eleventh straight game, scored all 11 of his points in the second half, adding two rebounds. Sabia also heated up with two three-pointers and 11 total points in the first ten minutes of the second half, Hartford began to crawl their way back in it. A Sabia trifecta cut the deficit to ten with 11:15 remaining, 51-41. Vermont had an answer, though, and the lead was quickly back up to 15.
Hartford would again cut it to ten with 5:59 remaining, but they could once again get no closer.
With just 39 seconds to play, Sabia was fouled by Joey Accaoui and went to the free throw line for two shots. The leading free throw shooter for Hartford this season, Sabia calmly knocked down both freebies, bringing his total for the game to 17 and his career total to 1,000 exactly. Sabia becomes the 23rd Hartford player to reach the milestone, and the first since Jaret von Rosenberg did it last season in the Hawks' 65-56 win over Maine in the opening round of the America East Tournament. The third-leading three-point shooter in Hartford history, Sabia knocked down two of the four three-pointers he took on Wednesday night.
Hartford has just one home game remaining, a matchup with Albany on February 28. Next up, though, is a trip to Maine on Sunday afternoon for a rematch with the Black Bears. Hartford fell to Maine last month in West Hartford, 77-69. Sunday's game tips off at 2 p.m., with all the action airing live on the flagship station of Hartford men's basketball, WDRC-1360.
